


Red (AKA The Kitten That Brought Us Together)

by NonBinaryBitch



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Also Cavetown is mentioned for like a split second, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), College AU, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Langst, M/M, Mild Language, Sharing a Bed, Shy!Keith, So in theory it should be really good, Strangers to Lovers, This is a re-write, broganes, cause they're awesome, don't worry Keith fixes it, flirty!Lance, in like the last chapter, klance, twist ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22966168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonBinaryBitch/pseuds/NonBinaryBitch
Summary: This is a complete rewrite of Make Us Your Home. It was one of my first stories and I wanted to revamp it a bit.Excerpt:"Wait what? Someone’s moving here?" Lance looked to Hunk in confusion, but his confusion wasn’t reflected in Hunk’s face.Pidge got their phone out and started tapping through it, "My friend, Keith. You know Shiro, right?" Lance nodded, "Keith is his brother.""Wait, Shiro has a brother?! How come I didn't know this?!"Pidge looked up from their phone, "Keith is his adoptive brother. They're really close, so I don't know how he hasn't been mentioned, or you just weren’t paying attention. Anyways, here's a picture of him.""Goddamn, he's gorgeous!"
Relationships: Background Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Background Curtis/Shiro (Voltron) - Relationship, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 135





	1. Chapter 1

Lance rushed down the hall and burst through the door, proceeding to run through the courtyard. His bag bounced violently on his back, but he ignored it in favor of dodging people on the walkways. Hunk, the sweetheart he is, was waiting for him in the library, and Lance was slightly (very) late. He had managed to talk up a girl that sits in front of him in math class, and had even gotten her number!

He slowed down to a stop in front of the library doors, trying to calm down his breath, which was coming out in short pants. Lance opened the door to the library and bounded up the stairs, waving to the librarian on the way. He quickly found Hunk once he was upstairs, and saw a small girl sitting next to him. The girl has huge glasses and a mess of orange hair sticking up in all directions. He walked up behind them and threw his bag down on the one empty chair.

"Well, look who decided to show up," Hunk looked up from his computer to look at Lance, "What took you so long?"

"You know the girl from math? Well I just got her number!" the girl in the other chair snorted, and he turned around to look at her.

"Hey! I have a perfectly charming personality and great looks! Besides, I’m not gonna take advice from a little girl." Lance looked down at the girl.

The girl sighed, rolled her eyes, and stood up, pressing her finger into Lance's chest.

"First of all, don't call me little girl," Lance scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I’m non-binary and I use they/them pronouns. And my name is Pidge, by the way, for any other insults you have."

Lance's eyes widened and he quickly went to fix his mistake, "Shit, I'm so sorry. I should've asked first. I never would've called you a girl if I'd known."

Pidge huffed and rolled their eyes, though there wasn't as much venom this time, "It's fine. Second, how do you know this girl didn't give you a fake number?"

Lance's mouth opened to say something back, but closed once he realized that he hadn't checked.

"I’m positive! Look I’ll check right now."

Lance made a show of taking out his phone and typing in the number, a shit eating look on his face the whole time. He put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear, only to have a male voice answer, "Hello, this is McDonald's, how may I help you?"

Lance made a frustrated noise before hanging up and plopping down in the free seat. He faintly heard Pidge laughing, and felt Hunk's hand on his back.

"Dammit! I thought she was into me!" Lance whined and buried his head in his hands.

Pidge was about to say something when their phone started ringing, and they quickly picked up, sending apologetic looks to other people in the library. Pidge waved to Hunk, who was still comforting Lance, and walked outside to take their call.

Hunk was able to calm Lance down, and the two got to work on their various homework assignments.

Pidge came back in a few minutes later, with a bit of a smile on their face.

"So, you know that friend I was talking about? He's Shiro's brother, lives in Canada. Or, used to live in Canada. He got accepted here, and he'll be here by the end of the week!" Pidge sat down as they talked and waved their hands around excitedly.

"Wait what? Someone’s moving here?" Lance looked to Hunk in confusion, but his confusion wasn’t reflected in Hunk’s face.

Pidge got their phone out and started tapping through it, "My friend, Keith. You know Shiro, right?" Lance nodded, "Keith is his brother."

"Wait, Shiro has a brother?! How come I didn't know this?!"

Pidge looked up from their phone, "Keith is his adoptive brother. They're really close, so I don't know how he hasn't been mentioned, or you just weren’t paying attention. Anyways, here's a picture of him."

Pidge held up their phone, and Lance leaned in to take a look. There was a picture on the screen of what looked like an apartment, and there was a guy who looked surprised. Pidge probably had caught him off guard. But, despite all that...

"Goddamn, he's gorgeous!" Lance took the phone from Pidge, who voiced their complaints. The guy had an extremely pale complexion, which only served to compliment his dark black hair. The way his eyebrows were closely knit together was unfairly cute, and his nose was scrunched up to join them. Lance was distracted by his eyes, which were a unique, purple-y color. Lance was fascinated by them, but the longer Lance looked, the more he noticed.

"Holy shit, he has a mullet!" Lance started laughing his ass off, and Hunk had to apologize to everyone in the library.

Pidge looked at Lance, "You literally just said he's gorgeous. Why are you insulting him now?"

Lance sighed wistfully, "I don't know. Maybe because my brain refuses to accept that there’s a human so perfect walking among us. Besides, he somehow manages to pull it off."

Pidge laughed and took their phone back, then started packing up their bag, "Alright, well I'm off. See you later, losers!"

Lance and Hunk waved as they left, then turned back to their homework. They had finished soon after, and headed back to their dorm. They were lucky enough to share a dorm, so they didn't have to share with a stranger. Lucky, or Lance and Hunk had begged to be put in the same room. Lance collapsed onto his bed as soon as they got back, and, soon enough, he drifted off to sleep.

**. . . . .**

Keith put his hands on his hips and looked around his old apartment. It looked strangely empty and lonely without all his paintings and knick-knacks covering the walls. He walked through the empty space for what felt like the thousandth time, making sure everything was packed away in the proper boxes. Keith checked his watch. Shiro would be here to pick him up in about ten minutes, along with Allura, a family friend. They had known her so long she felt like the sister he never had.

Keith sat down and leaned against one of the more sturdy boxes, and got out his phone to text Pidge, his best friend. He had them saved as 'LiTtlE GrEMlIn' and had the most unflattering picture of them he could find as their contact picture. It was when he’d caught them off guard, with their hands buried in their hair as they shouted at Shiro about conspiracy theories.

Keef: I'm bored. Entertain me.

LiTtlE GrEMlIn: Well you lil shit why dont u entertain urself

Keef: I would but all my shit is in boxes.

LiTtlE GrEMlIn: That sucks. Have fun

Keef: u asshat

Keith sighed and looked around his apartment, looking for anything to do. He was about to write something on the wall when the doorbell rang.

He jumped up and ran to the door, and was quickly engulfed in a hug. He laughed and hugged Allura back, who had practically jumped him when he opened the door.

Allura pulled back to look at him, "Keith, how are you! It seems like I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I’m good! I'm so excited to be closer to you guys!" Keith looked around the hall, "Where's Shiro?"

"He's in the parking lot loading your bike into the trailer. Sent me up here to help start bringing stuff down."

They set to work after that, bringing everything down to where Shiro was struggling with Keith's bike.

Well, motorcycle would be a better word for it.

They made quick work of Keith's things, considering the furniture all had to stay in the apartment, and Keith didn’t own much.

After Keith greeted Shiro and they got all his stuff packed, they got in the car and started making their way to Altea University. Keith plugged in his headphones and let the soothing sounds of  _ Cavetown  _ wash over him, drifting off in no time at all.


	2. Chapter 2

The car door slamming jarred Keith awake, and he bolted up out of his seat, almost hitting his head on the seat in front of him. For a moment, he was stuck in the moment after a nap where he didn’t know what year it was, but he regained his sense of awareness. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, seeing that they were stopped at a gas station. He heard Allura laugh a little beside him, and turned to look at her.

"Well, look who finally woke up," Allura’s voice lilted as she teased him.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Keith stretched his arms out in front of him, "Where are we, anyways?"

"We're about an hour out from Altea. You slept a while."

"Don’t even act like you didn’t sleep, too!" Keith raised an accusing finger at Allura.

"Yes, but I didn't sleep for almost five hours!" Allura glared back at him, but it lacked any venom.

Keith was about to fire back when Shiro got back in the car, and looked back to see that he was awake.

"It rises!" Shiro extended both his arms out to Keith, who glared right back at him.

"Just drive," Keith grumbled. He sat back against the seat and pulled out a book, half reading and half staring out the window for the rest of the trip.

**. . . . .**

Lance groaned, burying his face in his hands. Pidge’s friend, Keith, was due to get there any minute, and as much as Lance wanted to sweep him off his feet as soon as possible, he had a very important test that he was complaining very loudly about.

"Why did I agree to this? I have a test in 16 hours!" Lance whined from his spot in the middle of the bench they were sitting on.

"In your words," Pidge said, "'I need to see this beautiful creature to bless me before I take this test.'"

"Oh," Lance perked right up, "right!"

Pidge sighed and turned back to watching the parking lot. Hunk was reading a book next to Lance, leaving him to fidget around with a rock he had picked up.

He ended up just watching the parking lot with Pidge while he played with the rock, even though he had no idea what he was looking for.

About twenty minutes later, Pidge jumped up and started running towards the parking lot. Lance was about to yell at them, when he saw Shiro's car pull in.

"Hunk! I think they're here!" Hunk looked up from his book and towards where Pidge was running.

"C'mon," Lance stood up and grabbed Hunk's hand, dragging him up, "let's go!"

When Hunk and Lance got over there, Pidge was already helping with getting things out of the trunk. Lance could hear them talking with someone, and walked around to see who.

As soon as he was able to see them, his breath left him in a rush.

Lance was transfixed as Pidge said something that made Keith throw his head back and laugh, covering his mouth to hide has loud outburst.

It was the most beautiful thing Lance had ever seen.

Keith’s eyebrows were drawn together and his nose pinched up, causing his eyes to squint shut. The hand on his mouth did little to muffle his loud laughter, and Lance was kind of grateful for it. He could listen to that beautiful sound on repeat forever.

It Pidge a minute to notice Lance, but as soon as they did, Lance knew it was game over. Pidge took one look at him and smirked, then looked innocently back at Keith.

"Hey, Keith," Keith looked at Pidge once he had calmed down, "this is my friend, Lance! He has just been dying to meet you!"

Keith looked over at Lance curiously, then back to Pidge. Lance cleared his throat, "Actually, I think I died while waiting to meet you, because they don’t just let angels walk on earth.”

The look on Keith's face was fucking priceless. His eyes went wide and his cheeks a rosy pink. Lance heard Pidge smack her hand against her forehead and mutter something like 'I can't deal with this gay shit right now' and then walk back around the other side of the car.

Keith finally regained his ability to speak, "Um, thank you. It's nice to meet you." Keith extended his hand for Lance to shake.

Lance, however, had different ideas.

Lance bent over in a bow, took Keith's hand, and pressed his lips there for a second before pulling away and straightening.

Keith stood there, gaping like a fish, before Lance laughed a little.

"Sorry to do that to you on your first day here. You're just so cute I couldn't resist." Lance winked at Keith.

"It's..it's fine. Can you help me get some of my stuff?" Keith motioned to the last few boxes in the car.

"Of course! That's why I'm here, anyways!" Lance peeked around the car, "Hey, where's his dorm?"

Pidge was the one to yell back, "It's the empty one right next to yours!"

"Thanks Pidge!" Lance looked back to Keith.

"Come on, I'll show you where your dorm is."

Keith nodded and grabbed a box, and Lance did the same.

Lance led them through the courtyard, chatting about random things and stopping once they reached his building.

"This is our dorm building. It's an all guys dorm, so it can get pretty chaotic, but our floor is pretty calm compared to the others," Lance spoke as he opened the door for Keith, gesturing for him to go inside first.

"After you, beautiful," Lance purred from the back of his throat, savoring how Keith’s cheeks turned pink as he walked past Lance into the building.

Lance guided Keith up to his room, then put the box down once they reached it.

"Well, this is your room! Mind if I see your key real quick?" Lance stuck his hand out to Keith, waiting patiently.

Keith shifted the box he was carrying to one hand, reached into his pocket and handed Lance the key.

Lance opened up the door and picked the box up from the ground, moving into the room.

Lance dropped the box and spun around, spreading his arms wide and gesturing at everything, "This is it!"

Keith looked around the room, taking all of it in, "Now, since you joined in the middle of the semester, you won't have a roommate. Hunk and I are in the next room to the right, so feel free to drop by if you need anything. What's your major, by the way?"

Keith put his box on the bed then walked over to where Lance was standing in the middle of the room, "Astronomy, you?"

"Marine Biology. It's a lot of fun, but some of the math can trip me up." Lance scratched the back of his neck.

"Um, I can help you with math, if you want? It's kind of my strong suit," Keith looked at him sheepishly.

"Really? Dude that would be great! And besides," Lance moved to stand a little bit closer to Keith, "Who am I to pass up an opportunity to spend time with you?"

Keith flushed and ducked his head, trying to cover his blush with his bangs. Lance chuckled, "The others should be up here in a few minutes with the rest of your stuff. I have a test that I desperately need to study for, so I'll see you around, cutie." Lance topped it all off with a wink, before leaving and going into his own dorm.

Lance mentally congratulated himself, then sat down at his desk, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright, let's kick this test in the ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know not much has changed, but I really think these chapters are 10 times better than the original story. Some minor changes will be made, but it mostly just flows better when reading. I will probably update again tomorrow because my school is closed tomorrow for primaries, so I have the day off. Don't forget to leave a comment with any requests or suggestions, bye peoples!


	3. Chapter 3

The rain poured down around Keith as he picked up his pace, using his jacket to shield his head. He had been walking back to his dorm when the sky opened up on him suddenly, soaking him to the bone almost instantly.

He was almost to his building when a noise made him slow down. It sounded like an animal, but he couldn’t tell for sure. The rain was thundering on the ground and Keith could barely hear his own thoughts.

Just as he was about to head inside, he heard the noise again.

Keith followed the noise, trying to drown out the constant pounding of the rain. He paused and strained to hear, then jumped when he realized it was right below him.

He squatted down and saw an empty box. Well, almost empty.

Inside was an orange tabby kitten, with wide, blue eyes and barely anything on its bones.

Keith didn't even think before he was scooping up the kitten and cradling it to his chest. The kitten mewed again and nuzzled into his chest, shivering slightly.

Keith pulled his jacket tight around his shoulders and cradled the kitten to his chest as he dashed to his building. He bounded up the stairs to his floor, and was almost safe and sound when the door to his right swung open.

Lance walked out of it, and locked eyes with Keith.

Keith, who was holding a kitten in his arms.

It was probably only half a second before Lance was rushing over to him and cooing over the small animal, moving so fast that Keith jumped a little.

"Oh my god, she's so cute!" Lance said as he bent down to get on eye-level with the kitten.

"Um, hi Lance," Keith looked down to meet Lance's eyes, shifting on his feet and blushing slightly.

"Oh, sorry. Hey, darlin'!" Lance smiled warmly up at Keith, sending a pleasant warmth through him. Ever since they first met, Lance has been coming up with new pet names for Keith every time he sees him. Lance has been using 'cutie' and 'darlin'' most frequently.

Lance chuckled a little, then pulled back from the kitten. He didn’t stray far from Keith, though, leaving one of his hands on the kitten’s head.

"So, how did you end up with a kitten?" Lance said with an air of amusement, but Keith could identify the hint of fondness in his face that never seemed to completely leave.

"Um," Keith looked down to the kitten who was now squirming in his arms, "Why don't we go inside first and then I can tell you."

**. . . . .**

20 minutes later, Lance and Keith were on their way to a local pet store, at the insistence of Lance.

"We have to get stuff for the kitten, and since you've obviously never taken care of an animal before, I'm coming with you!"

Lance parked his blue truck as close as he could get to the pet store, and grabbed his umbrella from under the seat. He popped it open then hopped out after it, coming around Keith’s side and opening his door.

Lance held out a hand to help Keith get down without slipping, since the rain was making everything slick. Keith got down without incident and Lance pulled him in by the hand, making sure he was under the umbrella. Lance’s arm slid around Keith’s waist and reached behind him as he closed Keith’s door. Keith blushed,  _ hard,  _ and tucked himself into Lance’s side to avoid getting wet. 

Lance looked down at him and smiled, passing the umbrella to Keith. Keith was confused, but gasped a little as Lance brought his hand up to brush the hair out of Keith’s eyes. Lance whispered in the space between them, “Darlin’, you’re so beautiful when you blush.”

Keith was in awe as Lance let his arm fall back to his waist. Lance smiled at him and Keith felt his knees go weak at the genuine emotion he found in Lance’s face, and he felt himself fall a little harder.

Lance turned so they were able to walk into the store, with Lance’s arm around Keith’s waist and Keith holding the umbrella between them. 

As they walked into the store, Keith basked in the warm pressure along his back, leaning into Lance’s soothing heat. Lance tightened his grip on Keith and walked into the store with him, feeling complete contentment.

**. . . . .**

About 45 minutes later, Keith and Lance were back in Keith's dorm room, and were greeted by the kitten, which Keith had lovingly named Red.

Lance cooed over her once again, and went to work setting up everything for her. They had bought a litter box, a food dish, a water dish, a flea treatment, cat food, and a few toys for Red.

Lance was moving all around his apartment, and Red had sat down on Keith's pillow, with Keith changing into something warmer. 

Keith quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and a cropped shirt, walking out into his dorm to find a jacket.

Lance turned and Keith watched as Lance’s eyes snagged on the skin that was showing at his midriff. 

Lance spluttered for a second before he regained his sauve attitude, “You know you’re gonna catch a cold if you were that, right? Here, take my jacket.”

Lance barely gave Keith time to react before the jacket was being slipped onto his shoulders and the overwhelming smell of  _ Lance  _ overtook his senses. 

Keith flushed and stuttered out a ‘thank you’ before getting to work and helping Lance.

After fifteen minutes of them opening things and arranging them, they had set up what was deemed the kitten corner. The litter box was tucked away in the bathroom, but everything else was in the main part of his dorm. Lance had set a blanket out, and put Red's food and water dishes on the corner. There were a bunch of cat toys scattered across the blanket.

Once they were done, they both turned to see Red fast asleep on Keith’s pillow.

Keith smiled and walked over to her, then crouched down to pet her. Lance came over and sat on the bed next to her, letting his eyes drift from Red to Keith. 

“You know we have to give her a bath, right?” Lance said, making Keith look up at him. 

Keith sighed and stood up, “Yeah, I know. But she’s so peaceful!”

“Yes but she’s also dirty. So it’s bath time.” 

Lance stood up and picked up the kitten, then walked over to Keith's bathroom.

Keith chuckled and followed Lance, to find him getting Keith's shampoo and warming up the water in the sink. Red was sitting on the counter top and watching Lance move. She looked up when Keith entered and meowed at him, extending her paw and reaching for him. He smiled and walked over to her, scratching her behind the ear.

Lance hummed and walked up to stand right beside Keith. Lance bumped his shoulder against Keith’s, and Keith shivered slightly when he felt Lance’s breath on his neck.

Lance took Red from Keith's arms, giggling as she mewed up at him. Lance lowered her into the water, surprised to see that she wasn't fighting him at all.

"Darlin', can you put some shampoo on my hand?" Lance didn't even look up from Red, just held out his hand for Keith.

Keith tried to ignore the name, and gave Lance some shampoo. Keith watched as Lance massaged the kitten, who looked like she was enjoying the bath. The scene was much too domestic for only meeting Lance a week ago, and Keith tried to ignore how his heart fluttered.

After Lance finished washing Red, he asked Keith to get out a blow dryer and a towel. Keith watched on in awe as Lance expertly dried off the kitten, then handed her to Keith. She was warm, and Keith took her to his bed and sat down, smiling as Red started to purr.

Lance walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, then smiled down at Keith. Lance sat down right next to Keith, and leaned his head onto Keith's shoulder. With Lance’s jacket wrapped around his shoulders and Lance right next to him, Keith was completely surrounded by Lance. Keith looked over to Lance, only to find that he was staring down at the kitten in his hands.

Keith smiled to himself and resumed petting Red.

Yeah, he was going to settle in fine here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the kind of rapid updates you're currently getting. I MIGHT be able to finish this in the next day or so. I make no promises, but it is possible. Anyways, don't forget to leave any questions or requests in the comments, bye peoples!


	4. Chapter 4

Lance walked out of the science and math building, feeling as if there were weights tied to his hands. He was so tired but he had to study for his upcoming test. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed and cuddle up with a certain raven-haired boy and his kitten. Lance sighed at the thought, wishing so badly that he could do just that. He had come to terms with his feelings for Keith a bit ago, which wasn't that difficult. For all the flirting he did, he didn't get true crushes that often. He mostly flirted for the fun of it. But with Keith, he wanted all the parts of a relationship with him. The boy was just so perfect that you really couldn't blame Lance for liking him.

Lance continued the trek back up to his dorm, searching around in his pocket for his keys. He still hadn't found them by the time that he got to his door, and was beginning to get worried. It was then that he realized that his keys were sitting on his desk. Lance groaned and rested his forehead against his door. Hunk wouldn't be home for another few hours, and Lance didn't have any other way to get in.

Lance turned his head and his eyes caught on Keith's door. Lance pulled himself off the door and knocked on Keith's, praying to any god, goddess, or deity out there that Keith was home.

Lance was about to condemn himself to sitting on the floor until Hunk got back, when Keith's door opened.

Lance's breath caught in his throat at the sight before him.

Keith was standing right in front of him, dressed in casual clothing.

But damn, did casual suit him.

He was wearing low riding grey sweatpants, showing off Keith's stomach, which was unfairly toned. His red tank top wasn't hiding much either. Lance was able to fully appreciate Keith's figure like this, and there was so much to appreciate. His perfectly toned arms and his slight six-pack that Lance wasn’t at all jealous of. He had his hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and that made Lance's stomach do back flips.

All of Lance's thoughts came to a halt, and all he could think was:

_ Gorgeous. _

Keith blushed and mumbled out a quick thanks, rubbing the back of his neck. Lance realized that he had said it out loud accidentally, but was able to recover quickly.

"Just telling the truth, darlin'," Lance smirked and savored the way Keith flushed a darker color.

Keith looked down and hid his face in his bangs, then cleared his throat and looked up.

"So, what did you need?" Keith looked nervous, and the fact that he was looking up at Lance through his eyelashes nearly put Lance out of commission.

"Well, I was very smart, and locked myself out of my dorm. Hunk won't be home for a few hours, so I was wondering if I could hang out with you?"

Keith laughed quietly, and moved aside to let Lance in. Lance dropped his bag by the door and slipped off his shoes. He flopped onto Keith's bed, and watched Keith move to his bathroom. It was then that he noticed that a certain kitten wasn’t running out to meet him.

"Keith, you didn't get rid of Red, right?" Lance sat up so he could look at Keith.

Keith looked back to Lance incredulously, "Of course not! I just moved her to the bathroom cause Pidge is just a little allergic.”

At this, Keith walked out with Red in his arms, who seemed to be sleeping. Keith stopped right in front of Lance, who reached up to pet the kitten. It took all of his willpower to not pull Keith down to him and cuddle him until they both fell asleep.

Lance was more than surprised when Keith gently handed Red to him and sat down beside him. Keith reached around Lance’s shoulder to pet Red, leaning his head on Lance.

Keith eventually stopped petting Red and hooked his arm around Lance's, then nuzzled his face further into Lance's shoulder.

The moment was so perfect and Lance was so warm that he didn’t want to ruin the moment, but he couldn’t help but utter a quiet, "Darlin'?"

Keith didn't look up to Lance as he said, "I just- you're-" Keith huffed in frustration, "You're warm, and I'm tired, and I just wanna sleep for a bit."

Lance felt his heart clench at Keith' words, and he turned his body, forcing Keith to look at him.

"Darlin', I couldn't agree more." Keith looked up to Lance and flushed, then untangled his arm from Lance's. He scooted back until he was in the middle of the bed, then laid down. Keith patted the space next to him, then looked to Lance with an expectant expression on his face.

Lance put Red down on the bed, who meowed in protest. Lance ignored her and crawled over to where Keith was, then settled down. He left about half a foot between them, not wanting to accidentally cross any boundaries. Keith, however, was having none of that. He huffed and moved closer to Lance, wrapping one arm around Lance's middle, and tucking the other one to his chest. Lance took the hint and moved closer so that Keith's head was tucked into the crook of his neck, and used the arm he had moved to Keith's waist to pull him in close. Keith sighed in content and nuzzled into Lance, causing the arm around his neck to tighten and pull him until there was basically no room between them.

"Never took you as the cuddly type, darlin'," Lance spoke into Keith's hair.

Keith chuckled slightly and used his free hand to play with Lance's shirt, "Well, some people bring it out in me."

Lance blushed and buried his nose in Keith's hair, deciding to just bask in the moment.

Red made a displeased noise down by their feet, and they both pulled away an inch or two to look down at her. She was pawing at Lance's foot and looking at them. Lance moved his legs so she had a path up to the small space between them. She wasted no time and settled down between them. Lance closed the gap he had made for her, re-wrapping Keith up in his arms.

Keith began petting Red, who easily started purring and drifting off to sleep.

Right before Keith fell asleep, he heard Lance whisper, "Sweet dreams, darlin'."

**. . . . .**

Lance woke up to an extremely loud banging on the door. He groaned and cuddled closer into Keith, causing Keith to laugh slightly. The knocking continued, but neither of them made any move to get up. Instead Keith just yelled, "Come in!"

The door burst open and revealed Hunk standing there, looking slightly panicked, "Keith, have you seen-" Hunk cut himself off, gaping at the scene in front of him. Lance sat up slightly, causing Keith to make a noise in protest. "Lance!"

Lance sighed, "Yes, Hunk?"

"Um, I was just coming to ask if Keith had seen you, but- apparently he has, so I'll be going!" Hunk rushed out of the door and closed it behind him, leaving Keith and Lance alone again.

Lance sighed and laid back down, making Keith smile and move closer to him. Lance huffed out a small laugh, and Keith looked up to him and raised an eyebrow.

"I just- you're just really cute, Keith." Lance moved his hand to Keith's face and brushed his hair back, letting his hand linger on Keith’s cheek.

Keith went as red as a fucking firetruck at that and made some weird sputtering noise. Lance smiled fondly down at him, then moved his hand to the back of Keith's neck. Keith's eyes flicked down to Lance's lips and back up again, and if they weren't so close, Lance would've missed it.

Lance felt a wave of confidence wash over him, "Can I kiss you, Keith?"

Keith nodded and felt his eyes flutter closed as Lance used the hand he had on Keith's neck to pull him in closer. Lance hesitated an inch away from Keith, so Keith surged forwards and completely bridged the gap. It was slow, but Lance really couldn't complain. Lance let his hands wander up and down Keith’s sides, and since his tank top had ridden up, Lance was able to feel the smooth skin under his fingertips. Keith rested his hand on Lance’s, tilting his head to get a better angle. Lance hummed in approval and kissed him slowly, savoring the moment and basking in the warmth radiating from Keith.

When they pulled away from each other, they didn't go far. Keith's hand kept Lance's in place on his cheek, and the other never stopped moving up and down his side. They could feel each other's breath fanning across their lips and cheeks, and they were both flushed red. Lance’s hand stopped moving and started massaging the skin, causing Keith to sigh and further melt into the blankets.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight, darlin'?" Lance whispered this in the space between them, not wanting to break the gentle quiet that had fallen over the dorm.

Keith laughed breathlessly, and Lance committed it to memory. "I don't know how I could say no, babe."

Lance's heart soared, and he pulled Keith in for another kiss. Keith laughed and smiled into the kiss, making Lance smile and laugh as well. Soon enough they were both laughing while Lance peppered Keith’s face in kisses.

Keith finally stopped Lance and pressed a solid kiss against Lance’s lips, and Lance didn’t have any other coherent thoughts for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom. Chapter 4 done. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll get the next one out as soon as possible. Feel free to leave any questions or requests in the comments, bye peoples!


	5. Chapter 5

Lance was nervous.

As in, pacing around the room, can't sit still, nervous.

After he had asked Keith out, and he said yes, they had tried to make plans for later in the week, then realized that they were only free that night. Lance had insisted on cuddling for another half hour before Lance had gone back to his dorm to change into something nicer.

And then promptly had a panic attack.

He hadn’t planned on actually getting a date with Keith, and he was in no way, shape, or form ready for it. So yes, he was freaking out a bit.

Hunk was sitting on his bed, watching him pace and listening to him ramble.

"I mean, what if he doesn't like talking to me? Or what if I don't like talking to him! You know what, that one's impossible. I like him too much for that to ever be the case. But what if-"

"Lance!" Hunk interrupted his panicking, causing Lance to pause with his mouth open. "Stop worrying."

Lance visibly deflated, plopping down next to Hunk on the bed and sighing heavily. "You know I can't do that Hunk. It's in my nature."

Hunk sighed and rested his hand on Lance's shoulder, "I know, buddy, but think about it. Keith said yes to a date! That means that he likes you, at least a little bit. And I've seen the way he looks at you when you flirt with him." Lance perked up at this, "He looks at you like Curtis looks at Shiro whenever they're flirting.”

Lance was a little taken aback at this. Shiro and Curtis were the most in love couple he knew! They were together whenever they could be, and constantly flirting. It was so sickeningly cute, and Lance isn’t afraid to admit that he had been jealous of their relationship in the past.

Lance took a deep breath and exhaled, "Okay. I can do this, I can definitely do this. I can go on a date with Keith. I'm going on a date with Keith." Lance’s face broke out into a wide grin, "Oh my god, I'm going on a date with Keith!"

All of Lance’s previous nerves faded into giddiness. He had a date with Keith! The guy he’d been crushing on since they met! Holy shit!

Hunk smiled at Lance and nodded, "Yep. And you need to get ready so you can actually go on said date."

Lance looked at the time and squawked, "You're right!"

Lance bee-lined for his closet, searching through it wildly. Hunk chuckled and got up from his bed, ready to help Lance.

**. . . . .**

Lance looked in the mirror, checking himself one last time and taking a calming breath. After switching through a bunch of outfits, he finally settled on a pair of black jeans, a blue tucked-in flannel, and blue converse. He had texted Keith that he wanted to take him out to a specific restaurant, and Keith had easily agreed. 

Lance walked out of the bathroom and turned to Hunk, then held out his arms and waited for his final verdict.

Hunk looked him over once, then nodded, "You're ready."

Lance smiled, grabbed his phone and keys, then turned back to Hunk. "Hey, can you do me a favor and not tell the others? I don't know what this means for me and Keith, and I kind of don't want to deal with their teasing."

Hunk nodded in understanding, "I got you, buddy. Now go get your man!"

Lance laughed then left their dorm and walked next door. He hesitated slightly before knocking, then stepped back.

It took a second, but Keith opened the door and Lance sucked in a breath.

He was wearing a pair of ripped up skinny jeans that clung to his legs, all black converse, and an over-sized black sweater that read, 'That sounds GAY. I'm in.' He had also tied his hair back into a ponytail that was illegally cute.

In short, he looked adorable and Lance was about to have a heart attack.

"Hey." Keith looked up at Lance through his eyelashes.

"Hey." Lance cursed himself for how breathless he sounded.

Keith stepped out of his dorm completely and locked the door behind him. Lance took this moment to calm his heart rate and appreciate how Keith looked in his jeans.

"So...you ready to go?" Lance looked up as Keith said this.

"I was born ready, darlin'." Keith blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, and Lance soaked in how easily he could do this to Keith. He’s been calling Keith this pet name for so long, he was surprised Keith still got flustered.

Keith held out his hand, and Lance slipped his in easily. Keith intertwined their fingers.

**. . . . .**

"Alright, I have two cheeseburgers, one with milk-free cheese," their waitress, Romelle, said as she put their plates down.

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand before releasing it, for the first time since they had gotten to the restaurant. Lance mourned the warmth.

"Thanks Romelle. I like your new color, by the way," Keith said. He was talking about her hair, which now split dyed pastel blue and pink.

Romelle smiled down at him, "Thanks, um,” Romelle looked down nervously. “Do you think Allura will like it?”

Keith nodded and positively beamed up at her, "Dude, she will love it. She basically praises the ground you walk on. You should really just ask her out already!”

Romelle flushed and huffed, then retreated back to the kitchen.

He turned back to see Lance staring at him curiously, "What?"

Lance continued staring at him, leaning his chin on his hand and tilting his head slightly, "You know Romelle?"

Keith looked surprised at his question, "Um, yeah. She’s been Allura’s crush for basically forever, and Allura is my and Shiro's honorary sibling. Also, if you couldn't tell, she’s also pining after Allura. It's kind of adorable."

Lance hummed and looked down to his plate, practically drooling in his hunger.

As they ate, they chatted with each other, talking about anything and everything. Once they were done, Lance paid for both of them (even though Keith insisted), and they started making their way back to the dorms. The restaurant wasn’t too far off campus, so they had decided to walk.

It was dark by the time they left hand-in-hand. Keith was talking about his school in Canada, and Lance was listening intently as he stroked his thumb over Keith's.

"We also had these really fancy french presses in the dorm lobbies. It took me forever to figure out how to use it, but once I did, it was so fucking worth it. Best coffee I've ever had, no doubt."

Lance hummed to prompt Keith to keep talking, and he gladly took the opportunity. It was so unusual, seeing as Keith was normally so quiet. Lance was in awe as he saw Keith open up in ways he’d never seen before.

It seemed as though the walk was shorter than it should've been, and Lance was wishing he had the courage to ask if he could stay the night at Keith's place.

They were walking down their hallway when Lance finally worked up the courage, only to get cut off by Keith.

"Hey, you wanna go for a late night drive?" Keith asked as he opened his door, only to grab a second set of keys, then close the door again.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, sure," Lance was a little taken aback, surprised that Keith had made the move to keep this date rolling.

"Great. You should probably grab a jacket, though." Keith said this with a smirk, and Lance was not ashamed to admit that it did something to his insides.

Lance quickly dashed into his dorm, shocked to find Hunk not there, and grabbed a jacket before running back out.

Keith looked at the black jacket in his hands then nodded approvingly. Lance narrowed his eyes at him, "Well? What about your jacket?"

"It's already by my bike." Keith hooked his arm around Lance's as he said this, then started leading him back downstairs.

These words sent Lance reeling a little bit. Bike? As in, a bicycle? Or, a motorcycle? Because if Keith had a motorcycle Lance might die. At least he would die happy.

A minute or so later, they were in the parking lot, and Lance was dying.

Keith. Keith was leaning on a red and black motorcycle. Lance was spluttering a few feet away. Keith knew what he was doing to Lance.

And he looked fucking smug.

Lance watched as Keith popped the seat up and got his jacket and two helmets out. He was so caught off guard by the sight of Keith that he barely caught the helmet that was thrown at him.

He heard Keith snicker, and glared at him while slipping his jacket on.

By the time Lance walked over to the bike, Keith was already on it, and looking back at Lance expectantly. Lance threw his leg over and eased onto the back of the bike, keeping himself a few inches away from Keith. Keith huffed, then reached his hands back and grabbed Lance's wrists. He pulled them forward, wrapping them securely around his waist. This also pulled Lance forward until he was plastered against Keith's back. He tried to pull back, but Keith kept his grip securely on Lance's arms, keeping him in place.

"You have to stay exactly where you are now, or you'll fall off." Keith turned his head to the side so he could easily talk to Lance, “And we don’t want that, now do we?”

Lance flushed and tightened his grip on Keith, scooting forward minutely. Keith let go of Lance's arms, which had moved so that they were running up and down Keith’s sides, then settled on his hips. Keith turned his head more toward Lance, bumping their noses together. Lance realized what Keith wanted, and closed the very small amount of distance between them. It was a slightly awkward angle, but they made it work. Lance’s hands moved to Keith’s middle and started massaging, and Keith moved one hand back to tangle in Lance’s hair. Lance hummed against his lips and felt Keith sigh in return.

Keith eventually pulled away, and Lance pouted as he turned around. Keith slipped the helmet over his head, which prompted Lance to do the same. Keith pulled his keys out of his pocket and started the bike, causing it to thrum to life around them.

Lance wrapped his arms tightly around Keith once again, adjusting so that he was ready.

Keith wrapped his hands around the handles, kicked up the stand, and zoomed out of the parking lot. Lance yelped in surprise and tightened his hold on Keith, who laughed loudly.

Lance gradually relaxed into the ride, and savored the warmth Keith was emitting.

Eventually, the city road changed into forest, and Keith stopped at an overlook Lance had never been to before. Keith gently patted Lance's legs, urging him to get up. Lance did, and looked around his surroundings in wonder.

They were at what seemed to be an overlook, but it was really just a small clearing with a really good view of the stars. Lance took off his helmet and put it on the bike seat after watching Keith do the same. Keith grabbed Lance's hand and pulled him over to the edge, then sat down a few feet away from it.

Lance sat down next to him, then wrapped his arm around Keith's waist. Keith leaned into him, pressing his entire left side to Lance. He rested his head on Lance's shoulder, and Lance leaned his head on Keith's.

"This is where I go when I need to think. Or be alone." Keith talked softly, not wanting to disrupt their peaceful moment.

Lance brought his free hand up to rest on Keith's knee, then nuzzled into his hair. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Keith hummed in acknowledgment and tucked himself as far as possible into Lance's side, causing Lance to tighten his grip on Keith.

Once Lance was sure Keith was done moving around, he removed his hand from Keith's knee, then reached into his jacket pocket to get his phone out. Keith looked up at him curiously, but Lance ignored him. Lance pulled up the camera app and turned it to be front facing.

"Say cheese, darlin'."

Keith smiled at the name, but before Lance could take the picture, Keith turned his head and ducked into Lance's shoulder. He heard the camera go off, and opened one eye only to hear the sound again. He quickly turned his head, but he wasn't fast enough.

Lance nudged Keith’s shoulder to get him to look at the picture, and Keith barely turned his head just to check that he wasn't going to take another picture, before fully turning.

The picture was of Lance smiling softly at the camera, arm around Keith, and looking positively elated. Keith was ducked into his shoulder, but one eye was open, and his smile was quirked up in a half-smile. It was really cute. And really gay.

Keith smiled, and nuzzled into Lance's neck, "That's really gay." Lance snorted. "Send it to me."

"You got it, darlin'."

**. . . . .**

After the drive back to their dorms, Keith and Lance were sufficiently wiped out. Keith was heavily leaning on Lance, trying very hard not to fall asleep on him. It was a miracle they hadn’t died on the way back.

They got to Lance's door first, and Keith uttered out a quiet, "Want to see Red?"

Lance nodded and let Keith drag him over to his dorm. They stumbled in, and Lance sat on Keith's bed as Keith called out for Red. Red poked out from the bathroom and pranced over to Lance. Keith laughed airily and filled up Red's food bowl, then walked over to Lance, who had picked up Red. Keith took off his jacket and shoes, then climbed into bed, laying down behind Lance.

Lance chuckled lowly, "Tired, darlin'?"

Keith nodded and tried to lift the covers, only for them to catch where Lance was sitting. Keith groaned pitifully and pulled again, and Lance laughed then stood up. He placed Red down on the pillow, then took off his shoes and jacket, and pulled out his shirt from where it was tucked into his jeans.

Keith watched him as he did this, then held the covers up for when he was done. Lance climbed in and snuggled up next to Keith as he dropped the covers and his arm, enveloping Lance in warmth. Red meowed in protest from her spot on the pillow when Lance moved so that he was in between Keith and Red. Keith smiled sleepily at Lance then moved down so he could nuzzle into the crook of Lance's neck. Lance reached behind him and placed Red down on the pillow in front of his face, giggling when Red rubbed her face against his nose. Keith looked up and smiled fondly at the pair, then tangled his legs with Lance's.

Lance looked down to find Keith looking at him, then smiled fondly at him. Keith raised his chin up a little bit, and Lance got the hint. Lance closed the distance between them again, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist. Keith hummed and broke away, smiling softly up at Lance. It looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off by his own yawn. Lance chuckled and pulled Keith in, rubbing his back and nuzzling into Keith's hair.

"Goodnight, Lance."

"Sweet dreams, darlin'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I ended up getting sick today and was able to edit this chapter. This one's a lot longer than the others, like almost double the length. Don't forget to leave any questions or requests in the comments, bye peoples!


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a few weeks since their first date, and everything was going great. They would always hang out in one of their dorms, go on a date almost every weekend, and all in all be around each other a lot. They hadn't exactly talked about what they were though, and insecurities were starting to settle in Lance's stomach.

He didn't think they were in an open relationship, but he hadn't asked so he couldn't be sure. They hadn't told the others yet, which was what really worried Lance. He knew that he was probably overthinking things, but that nagging voice in the back of his head that told him he wasn't good enough hadn't shut up in a while.

They were currently in Keith's dorm, watching a movie on Keith's laptop. They had sat up so they were leaning on the wall the bed was pushed against, with Keith's head on Lance's shoulder. Lance also had Keith's hand, and was rubbing his thumb over the knuckles. They were watching Back to the Future, a movie Lance had seen so many times he didn't even have to pay attention to know exactly where they were in the movie.

A skill he was currently using to plan out how he was going to ask Keith what they are. He had spaced out almost as soon as the movie began, and he was sure his eyes had glazed over by now.

He still wasn't able to fully focus on his plan, what with Keith's hair brushing against his jaw and Keith's hand resting on his thigh, but you know, he could make it work.

He was just about to casually bring up the topic when Keith turned so he was sitting at his full height and looking Lance in the eyes.

"Okay, I can tell something's bothering you. What is it?" Keith paused the movie so he could focus his full attention on Lance.

Lance, however, was taken aback by how in tune Keith was to him, and his perfect plan flew out the window as he was caught off guard.

"Um, well, we haven't really talked about what you- what we are, and it's just kind of been bugging me." Lance rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Keith frowned at Lance, "We're boyfriends, right?"

Lance's heart soared at the words, and he barely managed to keep in a squeal. He has a boyfriend and it's Keith who is gorgeous and shy and adorable and perfect and could probably have any guy he wanted and he chose Lance and why is his boyfriend still talking?

"I-I mean, that is, if you want to be boyfriends. I would never force you into anything and I can't make you only date me and if you want to date more than one person then cool but it would be really great if you could date me alone and why aren't you saying anything please get me to stop talking-"

Lance pushed the computer off Keith's lap and placed it on the floor before positively tackling Keith to the bed. Keith let out a little squeak that was so adorable as Lance connected their lips and shut him up like he had asked. Lance shifted on top of Keith so that his weight was mostly focused on his knees, which were on either side of Keith's thighs. He moved his hands down to Keith's waist, massaging his hip bones and making Keith sigh beneath him and melt into the bed. Keith's hands entangled themselves in Lance’s hair, using them to keep Lance in place. They only broke away from each other when the need to breathe became too much. Lance rubbed his nose against Keith's, causing the latter to giggle against his lips.

Lance smiled softly down at Keith, leaning down to press another kiss to his lips. When Lance broke away, he brought one of his hands up to rest his elbow by Keith's face, dropping his head to his palm. Keith moved his hands from Lance's hair to cup his cheeks and rub his forefingers up and down his face. Lance melted into the touch and sighed, staring at his boyfriend. Wait, he wasn't clear on that, was he?

"Keith, will you be my boyfriend?" Lance said quietly, not wanting to disrupt their moment of tranquility.

Keith giggled again and looked up at Lance fondly, "Of course. How could I ever say no to a face that cute?"

Lance felt his face heat up and he groaned and buried his face in Keith's neck. Keith laughed and brought his hands to wrap around Lance's neck. Lance smiled into Keith's neck and brought his hands back down to their previous position on Keith's waist. Lance nuzzled into Keith's neck, causing him to take in a sharp breath and squirm a little. Lance peaked his head out and lightly ran his fingers over Keith's sides. Keith laughed and squirmed under Lance.

"Well, well, well, someone's a little ticklish, huh?" Lance smirked down at Keith.

Keith flushed and looked away, "N-no."

Lance smirked and then started rapidly running his fingers all over Keith, causing him to shriek and writhe underneath him.

"Hahaha! Oh my god! Lance," Keith snorted, "Nooooo!"

Lance smiled and slowed his attacks, allowing Keith to breathe. Keith huffed and tried to slow his breathing, resting his hands on Lance's biceps to keep him at bay.

"God, I love you," Lance breathed out the words before he processed them, and he would've immediately freaked out about it if he hadn't seen the expression on Keith's face.

His entire face had softened and he sported a lopsided grin. Keith brought his hand up to brush Lance's bangs out of his eyes, "I love you, too."

Lance laughed breathlessly, then leaned down, capturing Keith's bottom lip. Keith melted into the touch, wrapping his arms around Lance. Lance pressed his weight against Keith, trapping Keith completely in his embrace. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, lazily kissing and cuddling, wrapped up in one another.

Neither had ever felt so content before.

**. . . . .**

It had been a few weeks since their confessions, and the only one other than them that knew was Hunk. They were happy to keep it that way, especially since Keith had told him why he didn't want to let the others know yet.

About a week after that night in Keith's dorm, Lance had asked him why they hadn't told everyone else yet.

Keith had looked up from where he was curled up in his blankets to Lance and said, "Once we let the others know, they'll be all up in our business. Also, their teasing, it'll be relentless, and I kind of want to keep you to myself for just a little longer."

Lance had flushed and buried himself into the pillow, smiling as he heard Keith's laughter.

Now, the group was all crowded into a small seating area inside the campus library/coffee shop. Some studying, others just along for the ride. Pidge was hunched over their laptop on the floor, frantically typing away at something, no one bothering to ask what they were doing. Allura and Romelle were crowded over a textbook, mumbling things back and forth to each other. Hunk was swiping through his phone, seeing as he didn't have anything coming up to study for. Shiro was typing up a report that was due the next day with Curtis leaning against his shoulder. Lance was reading a book on one side of the love-seat, with Keith sitting with his legs pulled up on the other side. He was scrolling through some of his notes, doing some last-minute studying for his test tomorrow.

Everyone had ordered some kind of coffee, and was waiting for them. The coffee shop had a few people who would bring people's orders out to the library so they didn't have to wait around at the counter.

One of the baristas started approaching their group, and Lance looked up from his book to greet her. Pidge looked up from their computer, and everyone braced themselves for the inevitable flirting. The girl has two blonde pigtails, and is wearing a name tag that reads 'Nyma'.

Lance barely even glanced at her.

He took his coffee, smiled politely at her, then handed Keith his. Nyma seemed to take an interest in him, and smiled coyly at him before putting her hand on the back of the love-seat, right behind Lance's head. Keith's attention was immediately snagged.

"Hi." Lance looked back up from his book as Nyma started talking to him, "I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?"

"Lance." Lance turned back to his book after giving the short answer. He was given a few looks of disbelief.

Nyma huffed a bit before saying, "Well, Lance, I'm sure that we could get to know each other a little more over dinner tonight? Or, we could skip dinner all together and get to know each other a bit more  _ personally _ ."

Lance looked up once again, looking pretty disinterested, "Uh, yeah, no thanks."

Nyma huffed and walked away after handing out the rest of the coffee, leaving Lance with a lot of confused people.

Pidge was the first to speak, "Dude, what the fuck? Are you feeling okay?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Lance looked completely lost.

"Um, dude," Curtis this time, "She was hardcore flirting with you, and you didn't pay her any attention!"

"Oh," Lance seemed to just catch on.

Allura snickered, "Yeah, 'oh'."

"Maybe you can still get her number if you go over and explain that you were out of it," Shiro piped up from his spot on the couch.

"Actually, um, I don't really want her number." Lance scratched the back of his neck.

"Dude, what? You flirt with everything that breathes, what do you mean you don't want her number?" Pidge looked like he was about to go into hysterics as he said this.

"Well, I- um," Lance was floundering, and looked to Keith for help. Keith was staring at him with an odd mix of curiosity and fondness, and he slightly nodded at Lance, as if giving him permission to go on.

Lance took a deep breath, and looked around the group. Keith seemed to notice Lance spiraling, and reached out to put his hand on Lance's knee. Lance smiled at him, then turned back to the group. All of them were watching curiously as Lance said, "I don't need her number because I'm already dating someone."

There were a few beats of silence, and then an explosion of noise.

"You're dating someone?!"

"Who?!"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Bullshit!"

They got a bunch of dirty glares and looks from people around them, and Shiro rushed to apologize to everyone around them and quiet the group down.

"Okay, um, who are you dating?" Romelle asked, a lot more calmly than before.

Lance opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Pidge, "Pics or she isn't real."

Keith laughed a bit beside him, and Lance turned to give him a dirty look. Keith ignored him and kept snickering, moving his laptop off his lap.

"Okay, well, I actually have a boyfriend and I have plenty of pics so hah!"

"I still call bullshit." Pidge hadn't even looked away from their computer yet.

Keith was apparently done with Lance dragging this out, and decided to take matters into his own hands. He placed one hand on the couch to steady himself and used the other to grab Lance's jaw. Lance stopped talking and looked to Keith, seemingly getting the idea. Keith leaned in and connected their lips, expertly moving into Lance's space and balancing himself so was just on his knees with his hands braced on Lance’s shoulders. He pulled away after a few seconds, smirking when he saw Lance's dazed expression.

"You were taking too long," Keith explained simply, then settled back down on the chair. Only this time, he leaned against Lance's side and Lance brought his arm around Keith's shoulders.

Keith turned around to gauge the reactions, and was met with faces in varying degrees of shock. Allura and Romelle were both staring wide eyes, but had overall gleeful expressions. Shiro looked shocked, and so did Curtis. Pidge looked extremely confused, and Hunk hadn't looked up from his phone since the discussion started.

"Wait wait wait, you're dating Keith? Keith, why didn't you tell me?" Pidge was waving their hands around as they talked.

"Well, we kind of wanted to keep to ourselves for a bit, and I knew that as soon as you guys knew, you'd tease relentlessly and be in our business all the time." Keith snuggled closer to Lance, "We wanted some time before that happened."

Allura and Romelle awed at the couple, and Hunk snickered a little bit. He looked awfully proud of himself, "You know, I knew already."

Heads turned to Keith and Lance, questioning looks in their eyes, "Yeah, okay, Hunk knew. But it was only because he walked in on us cuddling. And helped me get ready for our first date."

"Yep," Hunk smiled over at the two, then went back to his phone.

"Well, I, for one, am happy for you two," Shiro had looked away from his report to talk to the pair, "I knew Keith would eventually come out of his shell and socialize."

The group snickered, and everyone went back to what they were doing. Keith grabbed his laptop and started typing away again, not moving from his spot against Lance's side. Lance smiled fondly at him then went back to his book, kissing him on the head quickly.

Yeah, that went well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter! This was another long one, and I hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to leave any requests or questions in the comments, bye peoples!


	7. Chapter 7

Lance sighed through his nose and cuddled closer to Keith and the warmth he was giving off. Keith chuckled, but snuggled his back into Lance's chest all the same. They were in Keith's dorm once more, but at this point Lance had basically moved in. Lance was constantly over, whether it be to visit Red, or for movie night with Keith, or just to be in Keith’s proximity. It was more often than not that he fell asleep in Keith's bed. At one point, Lance had started moving some of his clothes over because he couldn’t handle seeing Hunk wake up at midnight every time. Hunk was too pure.

Lance’s favorite thing since getting together with Keith was their lazy Sundays, the only day neither of them had any classes or shifts. It was already almost 10, and neither of them had made any attempts to get out of bed. It felt like home, and was incredibly warm, so they would only get out once their hunger forced them to.

Lance heard Red meow from the floor, and peeked over Keith to see her pawing at the bed. Keith reached out and began scratching behind her ear, and Red hopped up onto the space in front of Keith. They both cooed over her for a bit, Lance's arm eventually getting tired, so he collapsed back onto the bed. Keith continued petting her, but Lance wanted cuddles. Lance snaked his arm around Keith’s waist and pulled him back, then nuzzled into the crook of Keith’s neck. Keith giggled, making Lance’s face split into a wide grin as he began to pepper Keith’s shoulder and neck with kisses.

Keith turned around, succumbing to the desire for a proper kiss from his boyfriend, and promptly melted into his touch. Lance moved his hands to Keith’s shoulders and pushed on them lightly, forcing Keith to lay back completely. Lance propped himself up on his elbows so that he was hovering over Keith, trailing kisses down his neck. Lance pulled away to look down at Keith, and his breath caught in his throat.

Keith's hair was framing his face like a halo, and his cheeks were flushed a pretty pink. The light filtering in from their window made him look like an angel.

Or a dream.

And suddenly....

Lance awoke.

**. . . . .**

Lance gasped and sat up in his bed, only to hiss in pain. There was a throbbing in his head, and he quickly pressed the heel of his palm to his head to soothe the pain. His brain was a mess, and flooding with questions.

Where was he?

What happened to the dorm?

What happened to Keith?

Lance looked around the room, trying to get his bearings. He was in what was presumably his room, if the pictures around the room were any indication. He looked out to see fields, filled with pink flowers.

It all came rushing back.

Lance cursed as he stumbled and fell back onto the bed, blinking hard as images and memories flashed through his vision.

Voltron.

The final battle.

His family's farm.

Hunk.

Pidge.

Shiro.

Adam.

Allura.

Romelle.

Keith.

_ Keith. _

Lance sniffed, then wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. There was an ache in his chest, realizing that none of it had been real.

Keith being shy and adorable.

Them basically adopting a kitten together.

Keith letting Lance love him.

Keith loving Lance.

The tears came in earnest now, and Lance let them. He sobbed and sobbed, letting his chest ache with the weight of it. It wasn't fair. He had been so happy, the happiest he’d ever been, only for it to be ripped away from him. He was alone in this world, and he wished, ached, to go back to the other one.

**. . . . .**

Lance made his way downstairs, rubbing at his eyes. He knew he looked horrible, he felt it, too.

He walked into the kitchen, starting the coffee pot. He leaned against the counter and sighed, staring at the floor. He then heard a gasp from the doorway.

He turned and saw Veronica standing there, covering her mouth and tears welling in her eyes.

He smiled bitterly, "Hey, Ronnie."

Veronica ran at him and engulfed him in a hug, sobbing all the while. Lance knew that if he hadn’t sobbed his eyes dry earlier, he would be too.

"How long was I out?" Lance said gently as he released Veronica.

"About a month. We were so worried, Lance." Veronica looked so relieved that it brought a small smile to his face.

But then thoughts of Keith and Red came rushing back and that smile fell. He had a life here. His life  _ was  _ here. He felt so guilty for wanting to leave this reality. So guilty for wanting to be happy.

Veronica noticed the shift, "Lance? You okay?"

"It's just-" Lance let his gaze fall to the floor once more, "When I was out, it was kind of like I had a second life going on in my head. Me and the rest of the paladins were all going to college, at a normal school. Not the garrison. We were regular kids. It was great, Veronica. Allura and Romelle were crushing on each other and it was adorable. Shiro and Curtis were there, and still as grossly in love as they are now. Hunk was my roommate, and Pidge, well, they weren't that different."

Veronica looked at him, then spoke softly, "What about Keith?"

Lance felt his eyes begin to sting again, "Keith was my boyfriend. He was so adorable and shy, and I helped him adopt a kitten named Red, and he always wanted me around, and never got tired of me and was so fun and great and I was so in love with him."

Lance starts crying by the end of it, Veronica wrapping her arms around him. "And the worst part is that I want to go back, Ronnie. I just want to be able to hold him and kiss him but I can't and it's tearing me apart."

Veronica listened and rubbed his back as he cried, only pulling away when sobbing gave way to sniffles.

"You need to tell him, Lance."

Lance nodded, made his coffee, then went upstairs.

**. . . . .**

When everyone had split ways, Pidge had made them communicators that worked across several galaxies, allowing them to talk. Lance held his in his hand now, debating what to say. He knew he couldn't tell Keith everything over the phone, so all he needed to do was get him to visit Earth.

Lance took in a deep breath, then clicked to open a chat with Samurai.

Sharpshooter:   
Hey, are you on a mission right now?

Lance set the phone-like thing down, not expecting to immediately pick it up with a reply from Keith.

Samurai:   
No, why?

Sharpshooter:   
I need to talk to you about something.

Samurai:   
Okay then. What is it?

Sharpshooter:   
Not over the phone. I need to talk to you in person.

Samurai:   
Is it really that important?

Sharpshooter:   
Yes.   
Please, Keith.

Samurai:   
Okay. I'm a few hours away from Earth, but I'll get there as soon as I can.

Lance exhaled heavily through his nose. He had a few hours to get his shit together. He could work with that.

**. . . . .**

Two hours later, Lance was as ready as he'd ever be. He had said hello to all of his family, taken a shower, put on clean clothes, and was sitting on his porch, waiting for Keith.

He had learned what had knocked him out, as well.

And, long story short, this is what happened:

A fucking cow ran into him and put him to sleep.

Yeah. It's so fucking stupid.

Anyways, Lance was watching the horizon, when he saw Keith's ship come into view. It landed at the edge of the farm, and Lance hopped up to go meet him halfway.

Lance was almost there when he saw Keith help Axca out of the ship. And laugh at something she said. Then push her towards the house. Lance’s heart clenched painfully, and he desperately tried to push it down.

As Axca passed Lance, she gave him a wink, then a thumbs up, "I'm going to see Veronica. She's home, right?"

Lance nodded, then Axca beamed at him and took off towards the house. Lance turned away from her back to Keith, who was striding towards him.

"She has the biggest crush on Veronica, it's kind of sad." Keith shook his head then turned to face Lance, "So, what did you need to talk to me about? Seemed kind of serious."

Lance took a deep breath, then nodded, "Yeah, yeah it is. Let's go sit down somewhere before I tell you, though. It's a bit of a long story."

Lance took Keith's hand and led him to a small lake, near the edge of the farm. He walked them onto the dock, then dropped Keith's hand so he could sit down. Keith took the hint and sat down next to him, keeping a few inches between them.

"I've been in a coma for the past month." Keith looked bewildered and like he was about to say something, but Lance held up a hand, "Keith, this is gonna be a really long story, so please don't interrupt me." Keith clamped his mouth closed.

Lance continued, "I've been in a coma for the past month, and my brain created something akin to a second life for me. I haven't been able to figure out why, but it did. I called you here because I need to tell you about it. It involves you."

So Lance did. He started with the beginning, and told Keith everything. He didn't look away from the lake as he talked, but he could feel Keith's gaze on him. When he got to the part about them kissing, he heard Keith suck in a quick breath, but he kept his gaze forward. When he told Keith about his motorcycle and how it had flustered him, he heard Keith laugh under his breath, but he kept his gaze forward. When he told Keith about the 'I love you's, and he heard nothing from Keith, he kept his gaze forward. It was only when he had finished telling Keith of his last morning there, did he dare turn his head.

"So, yeah. I think I might be just a little bit in love with you." Lance smiled warmly at Keith, and it seemed as though that's what broke the dam.

Silent tears started streaming down Keith’s face, and he wrapped Lance up in his arms. He pulled back a little and brought his hands up to Lance’s face, pulling him in and gently pressed their lips together. Lance gasped and linked his arms around Keith’s neck, leaning into him. Keith moved his hands down to Lance’s lower back, pulling him in so close he was forced to sit on Keith’s lap. Keith felt so solid and real beneath Lance, he could immediately tell the difference from dream Keith. This was the real Keith.  _ His  _ Keith.

Keith pulled away, panting slightly, and smiled u[ at Lance. Lance smiled back down at him, then buried his head in Keith’s shoulder. He kissed Keith right below the jaw once, before making himself comfortable on Keith’s lap. Keith rested his head against Lance's and wrapped an arm around his waist, then using his free hand to grab Lance's and lace their fingers together.

If Lance wasn't so close, he wouldn't have heard Keith whisper, "I think I might be just a little bit in love with you, too."

Lance smiled and nuzzled into Keith's neck, breathing in the subtle scent of his cologne.

Yeah, definitely better than a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! It's here! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because it took a bit of a turn. I am sorry for the kind of heavy angst at the beginning, but I feel like I made up for it with immense fluff? Anyways, I won't be able to update anything in the near future, so I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to leave any requests or questions in the comments, bye peoples!

**Author's Note:**

> Y'ALL. THIS IS HAPPENING. Those who have been here since the beginning have probably already read the original of this, and I think this should be a nice trip down memory lane. You don't need to read that one to read this one, since I'm completely rewriting it. The plot is staying the same, but my writing has changed a lot since then and I kind of cringe whenever I see my old writing. Updates may be sporadic, and if you really need to know what happens, the original is still up. It's the second work I've ever posted. Anyways, feel free to leave comments and requests in the comments, bye peoples!


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